Pronunciation Japanese Lesson

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Before we even get started with grammar, let's get ourselves a little more familiar with how the Japanese language works. If you already know how to pronounce Japanese or you're itching to get started with some grammar (or you just don't care about speaking), you can skip to lesson 2 and come back if you need to. Otherwise, we're going to start with the foundation.

Syllables

The first thing that's good to know (and you may already) is that Japanese is made up of individual syllables, each of which is one specific sound. Here's an example word (and complete sentence, in the right situation):

"Hentai!" ("Pervert!")

This word has 4 syllables: "he" "n" "ta" and "i".

Japanese syllables are a good thing. Why? There is exactly one, and only one, way to pronounce each of them. Since words are made up of these sounds--and only these sounds--once you can pronounce the sounds right, you can pronounce everything right. The "ta" in "hentai" sounds exactly the same as it does in "tasukete", as well as any other word with a "ta" in it. Best of all, for the purposes of these lessons, there will also be one and only one way to write each of those sounds. No funky spelling to learn--rejoice.

Pronunciation

Without further ado, here's a great big list of how to pronounce everything. The syllable is in bold on top, and an English word with a similar sound is underneath, with the important part of the word underlined. The only general tip is that all of these sounds are short and tight--don't draw any of the vowels out (for example, don't say "Boooo", just a short little "bu"). If you happen to speak Spanish, you're in luck, because a lot of them sound quite a bit like Spanish sounds (except no rolling the "r"). Even if you don't speak Spanish, there are notes about some of the trickier sounds at the bottom.

Vowels

These are very important, since all the other sounds are based on them, so work at getting them right. Remember: It's "a" as in "are", "i" as in "weak", "u" like the end of "you" (or better yet, "uber"), "e" as in the end of a Canadian sentence (or "let"), and "o" like "Oh." (or "load").

If you really need a mnemonic, try to imagine a Canadian Yoda: "Oh, weak are you, eh?"

All these sounds, which are most of what's left, are just a hard sound with a vowel at the end, and they're almost all pronounced pretty much how they look. Here are some finer points, but you don't need them to get pretty darned close.

KA, KI, KU, KE, KO

Just a run of the mill "k" sound.

SA, SHI, SU, SE, SO

Same as an English "s" sound, with "shi" being like the word "she".

TA, CHI, TSU, TE, TO

"Ta", "te", and "to" are pretty easy (remember that "to" sounds like "toe", not "too", though). "Chi" sounds like... well, "chi" in "Tai Chi", or the beginning of "Cheech and Chong". Tsu is just a tad more tricky... if you have trouble try sticking a "u" onto the end of the "ts" sound in "that's". If that doesn't help, fake it.

NA, NI, NU, NE, NO

"No" sounds like the English word, and the others all have the same "n" sound. Be careful with the spelling, though--"ni" sounds like "knee" and "ne" sounds like "net" without the "t".

HA, HI, FU, HE, HO

The sounds are simple, but watch out for more confusing spelling; "Ha" and "ho" sound like somebody laughing, "hi" sounds like the English word "he" (not like "Hi, how's it hanging!"), and a Japanese "he" sounds like "head" with no "d". "Fu" is sometimes written "hu", but even though it's a little softer than an English "f" (don't touch your teeth with your lower lip), it probably sounds more like an "f"--think "food".

MA, MI, MU, ME, MO

Just an "m" sound, but watch the spelling again--"mi" sounds like the English "me", while the Japanese "me" sounds like the "me" in "medicine". "Ma" is like "Mama!", "mu" is like the sound a cow makes, and "mo" is like the Stooge.

YA, YU, YO

"Yo!" (like Sylvester Stallone). There is no "yi" or "ye"--in fact, most Japanese people can't even say "yi" (but it's fun to watch them try).

RA, RI, RU, RE, RO

Ah, here's the hard one; this is where the Japanese get revenge for all the English sounds they can't pronounce properly. We may write it with an "r", but it sounds like exactly equal parts "R", "L", and "D"--kind of like a "D", but you flick your tongue against the same bumpy part at the top of your mouth you hit with an "L". Try listening to somebody say it on a video, but don't worry too much--an English "Rah!" or "row" sound works well enough.

GA, GI, GU, GE, GO

All of these are more or less (don't worry about the details yet) a hard "g" sound. Depending on what part of Japan someone is from and how old they are, these can also be pronounced as a soft, nasal "g" (sounds like this: Listen); there's no difference in the way it's written, and no specific rules as to what words use which version, so it's perfectly safe to just use a hard "g" for everything. In fact, it's getting increasingly uncommon for younger people using standard Japanese.

ZA, ZU, ZE, ZO

The Japanese "z" sound is a little more like a "tz", but it's not a big deal--saying "zu" like "zoo" is fine, for example.

JA, JI, JU, JO

Just "j" sounds.

DA, DE, DO

Nice easy "d" sound; watch the spelling on "de", which sounds like "dead", and "do" which is like "Dodo" (the bird), not the english word "do".

BA, BI, BU, BE, BO

All easy "b" sounds; "ba" like the sound a sheep makes, "bi" like the bug that stings you, "bu" like the sound a ghost makes, "bo" like the girl who herds the sheep, and "be" like the word "bet".

PA, PI, PU, PE, PO

Again, just "p" sounds. And yes, they sound like children's words for bodily functions. Deal with it.

Freaky Extra Sounds

WA

WO

Also written just "o" sometimes, it is like a stiff version of "Woah, dude." This is the only sound that doesn't show up in words--it's always alone (you'll see where later).

N

This n-ish sound can come out sounding like an "m" or "n" depending on where it is in the word, but an "n" sound works pretty well (it more or less comes out as an "m" when it's easer to say that sound, like right before a "b" sound).

Combination Sounds

Those are all the basic sounds, but here are a few more. This collection of sounds is a combination of one of the consonant sounds above, with a "ya" "yu" or "yo" stuck onto the end. Many don't have a good English equivalent, but for example "ki" + "yu" = "kyu", which sounds like "cute", and "mi" + "ya" = "mya", which is the sound Ryoohki makes. Here's 'yer full list: